Holy war looms over Disney's Narnia epic

To millions, The Chronicles of Narnia are a childhood tale of wonder and triumph now made into a film that could inspire millions of children to read. To others, including the celebrated fantasy author Philip Pullman, they are stories of racism and thinly veiled religious propaganda that threaten to corrupt children rather than inspire them. Either way, one thing is certain: this Christmas, and perhaps the next six, depending on sequels, everyone will be talking about Narnia. Disney is already in the middle of one of the biggest marketing campaigns in recent cinematic history. It is trying to lure both mainstream filmgoers and evangelical Christians, who will respond to CS Lewis' parallels between his characters and the Bible. HarperCollins is set to publish 170 Lewis-related books in more than 60 countries, many of them Christian-themed works. Disney has hired Christian marketing groups to handle the film, called The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, after the first book in the chronicles. Pullman, an avowed atheist and a critic of Lewis, says, "If the Disney Corporation wants to market this film as a great Christian story, they'll just have to tell lies about it." Pullman believes that Lewis' books portray a version of Christianity that relies on martial combat, outdated fears of sexuality and women and also portrays a religion that looks a lot like Islam in unashamedly racist terms. "It's not the presence of Christian doctrine I object to so much as the absence of Christian virtue. The highest virtue, we have on the authority of the New Testament itself, is love, and yet you find not a trace of that in the books," he said. The Narnia books, Pullman said, contained "...a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary prejudice; but of love, of Christian charity, [there is] not a trace." Already evangelicals in the US are planning to use the Narnia film as a preaching tool. A group called Catholic Outreach has advertised for 150 coordinators across the country to help promote the film. It is also organizing "sneak peak" events at which trailers will be shown to church audiences and executives from the film will talk about the project. Other Christian groups and study centers are getting behind the film too. "We believe that God will speak the gospel of Jesus Christ through this film," said Lon Allison, director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in Illinois. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said that the film was an ideal way for a Christian message to be brought to people who would not otherwise go near a church. "Here is yet another tool that many may find to be effective in communicating the message of Jesus to those who may not respond to other presentations," he said. As well as a huge potential force at the box office, the other possible benefit for Disney is to heal its long troubled relationship with the evangelical community in the US. Many Christian groups have boycotted the company over the holding of special theme days for gays at Disneyland. But in the run-up to the Narnia release date on Dec. 9, evangelical leaders have been generous in their praise of the company they have often reviled. But while Disney has bet big on Narnia and now waits with bated breath, there is already one winner in the saga. The film, just like The Lord of the Rings, was shot in New Zealand, which then reaped a tourism windfall. Now local tour companies are already planning to show visitors around the spot where the Narnia film's climactic battle scene was shot.